Postoperative Pain in Thoracic Surgical Patients: An Analysis of Factors Associated With Acute and Chronic Pain

Background: Thoracic surgery is associated with high levels of acute and chronic pain, which is associated with significant morbidity, reduced quality of life, and increased health care expenditure. This study aims to identify patient-care factors associated with higher levels of acute and chronic pain after thoracic surgery.

Methods: The acute pain component of this study retrospectively analysed 53 patients, surgical, anaesthetic, and postoperative factors against an average measure of acute pain during a patient's hospital admission, for 134 individual acute admission episodes. The chronic pain component analysed 58 care factors against a binary chronic pain outcome based on the Neuropathic Pain Scale and the Brief Pain Inventory, for 72 patients, at an average of 7 months postoperatively.

Results: Younger age, chronic opioid use, use of talc, and multi-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) compared to uniport VATS, were all associated with higher levels of acute postoperative pain. Seven (7) months postoperatively, the rate of chronic sensation change or numbness was 31%. The rate of troublesome chronic pain was 8%. History of a mental health condition, chronic opioid use, urgent operation, and the use of tramadol postoperatively were independently associated with a higher risk of chronic pain.

Conclusions: This study identifies several factors associated with higher rates of acute and chronic postoperative pain, and defines the rate of chronic pain in a large tertiary thoracic surgery centre. Consideration should be given to modifying those surgical practices which were identified as being associated with higher levels of pain, including multi-port VATS, and the use of talc. It is important that non-modifiable risk factors for pain, including history of mental health condition, opioid use, age, and urgency of operation, are taken into consideration when informing a patient of the risk of pain postoperatively.